Kṛṣṇa says, ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyāt: "Ācārya should be known as good as Myself." Nāvamanyeta karhicit: "Never become disobedient to ācārya." Na martya buddhyāsūyeta: "Never be envious of the ācārya, considering him to be an ordinary person." Nāvamanyeta karhicit. Sarva-deva-mayo. By worshiping ācārya . . . and Bhagavad-gītā it is said, ācāryopāsanam. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). These things are there.
So these, I mean to say, assistants and associates of Viṣṇu, Viṣṇudūta, it is stated, Yamarāja says . . . Yamarāja is mahājana, therefore we have to accept. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). The Yamarāja says that bhūtāni viṣṇoḥ sura-pūjitāni durdarśa-liṅgāni mahādbhūtāni. Durdarśa.
It is very difficult to find out them, because in our experience within this material world, perhaps only Brahmā has four hands and Viṣṇu has four hands and sometimes Lord Śiva has also four hands, because they are biggest of all the demigods. But ordinary living entities, hardly one can find out a person with four hands. Therefore it is said here, durdarśa liṅgāni: "They are very rarely to be seen."
But mahadbhūtāni: "They are wonderful." Mahādbhūtāni. Rakṣanti tad-bhaktimataḥ parebhyo. And what is their business? The business is rakṣanti tad-bhakta. "Their business is to give protection to the devotees of the Lord." Rakṣanti tad-bhakta mataḥ parebhyo. Just like Ajāmila was attacked by the Yamadūtas.
Immediately they came and protected. Parebhyo. Rakṣanti tad-bhaktimataḥ parebhyo mattaś ca martyān atha sarvataś ca: "And they give protection from my jurisdiction. I may be sometimes mistaken to go to a person who is completely a devotee. Therefore they are required. 'No, you cannot come here.' " These things are stated.
- viṣṇu-bhūtāni bhūtyā durdarśāni
- draṣṭum apy asāṅkhyāni rūpāṇi
- yeṣāṁ tāni bhakti-mata viṣṇu-bhaktān
- parebhyaḥ śatrubhyaḥ martyasya
There is no use to become envious of a devotee, because a devotee, a pure devotee, will always be protected by these Viṣṇudūtas as they have protected Ajamila. Parebhyo. Parebhyo, Śrīdhāra Swamijī's gives śatru, enemies. In this world, although a devotee is ajāta-śatru—he does not do anything which will create enemy—but the nature of the world is that they will become envious. Any person, he has done no wrong to you, but he is making progress—his friends and his neighbors will be envious: "Oh, this man is becoming so successful." So the nature of this world is envious, enviousness.
Therefore, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, in the beginning it is said, nirmatsarāṇāṁ satām. Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsarāṇām (SB 1.1.2): "This is understandable by persons who are freed from this quality of enviousness." Here is a quality in the material world. Anyone who is here, he will be envious of his . . . Para utkarṣa asahanam. They cannot tolerate that his friend or his brother is very much, I mean to say, advancing either material or spiritual. They cannot tolerate. This is the society.
Therefore my Guru Mahārāja used to say that, "This is not the place for a gentleman to live," because surrounded by envious persons, especially to the devotees. Especially when a man becomes devoted to the Lord, he creates—he does not create, but the atmosphere is such—many enemies. Just like Prahlāda Maharaja. He was a five-years-old boy only, child; his father became enemy. Because the only disqualification Prahlāda Mahārāja had, that he was a great devotee. His father became enemy, what to speak of others?
Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said, taror api sahiṣṇunā. You will have many enemies, many envious persons, when you become pure devotee, but you should tolerate. Taror api sahiṣṇunā. Be tolerant just like a tree and be humble just like a grass. Tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā. Don't be afraid of your enemies, because Kṛṣṇa will protect you.
But in order to stop more misunderstanding, better become tolerant, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, that . . . envious persons, automatically . . . just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu's time, Śrīvāsa. Śrīvāsa was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and his neighborers became enemies. They wanted to insult him in so many ways. These are described in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta.
So that is natural. But we should always remember that "Let there be enemies. Let there be envious persons. I will be protected by Kṛṣṇa and His associates." And even I am not so accustomed, so I should learn to tolerate.